Brothers and Sisters, let us turn with trust to God our Father, who is
merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, great in love and fidelity, and
ask him to accept the repentance of his people who humbly confess their
sins, and to grant them mercy.

All pray for a moment in silence.

I. CONFESSION OF SINS IN GENERAL

A representative of the Roman Curia

Let us pray that our confession and repentance will be inspired by the
Holy Spirit, that our sorrow will be conscious and deep, and that, humbly
viewing the sins of the past in an authentic "purification of memory", we
will be committed to the path of true conversion.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

Lord God, your pilgrim Church, which you ever sanctify in the blood of
your Son, counts among her children in every age members whose holiness
shines brightly forth and members whose disobedience to you contradicts the
faith we profess and the Holy Gospel. You, who remain ever faithful, even
when we are unfaithful, forgive our sins and grant that we may bear true
witness to you before all men and women. We ask this through Christ our
Lord.

R. Amen.

Cantor:

Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.

The assembly repeats:

Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

II. CONFESSION OF SINS COMMITTED IN THE SERVICE OF TRUTH

A representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray that each one of us, looking to the Lord Jesus, meek and
humble of heart, will recognize that even men of the Church, in the name of
faith and morals, have sometimes used methods not in keeping with the Gospel
in the solemn duty of defending the truth.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

Lord, God of all men and women, in certain periods of history Christians
have at times given in to intolerance and have not been faithful to the
great commandment of love, sullying in this way the face of the Church, your
Spouse. Have mercy on your sinful children and accept our resolve to seek
and promote truth in the gentleness of charity, in the firm knowledge that
truth can prevail only in virtue of truth itself. We ask this through Christ
our Lord.

R. Amen.

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

III. CONFESSION OF SINS WHICH HAVE HARMED THE UNITY OF THE BODY OF
CHRIST

A representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray that our recognition of the sins which have rent the unity of
the Body of Christ and wounded fraternal charity will facilitate the way to
reconciliation and communion among all Christians.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

Merciful Father, on the night before his Passion your Son prayed for the
unity of those who believe in him: in disobedience to his will, however,
believers have opposed one another, becoming divided, and have mutually
condemned one another and fought against one another. We urgently implore
your forgiveness and we beseech the gift of a repentant heart, so that all
Christians, reconciled with you and with one another will be able, in one
body and in one spirit, to experience anew the joy of full communion. We ask
this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

IV. CONFESSION OF SINS AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

A representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray that, in recalling the sufferings endured by the people of
Israel throughout history, Christians will acknowledge the sins committed by
not a few of their number against the people of the Covenant and the
blessings, and in this way will purify their hearts.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your
Name to the Nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in
the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and
asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood
with the people of the Covenant. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

V. CONFESSION OF SINS COMMITTED IN ACTIONS AGAINST LOVE, PEACE, THE
RIGHTS OF PEOPLES, AND RESPECT FOR CULTURES AND RELIGIONS

A representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray that contemplating Jesus, our Lord and our Peace, Christians
will be able to repent of the words and attitudes caused by pride, by
hatred, by the desire to dominate others, by enmity towards members of
other religions and towards the weakest groups in society, such as
immigrants and itinerantes

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

Lord of the world, Father of all, through your Son you asked us to love
our enemies, to do good to those who hate us and to pray for those who
persecute us. Yet Christians have often denied the Gospel; yielding to a
mentality of power, they have violated the rights of ethnic groups and
peoples, and shown contempt for their cultures and religious traditions:
be patient and merciful towards us, and grant us your forgiveness! We ask
this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

VI. CONFESSION OF SINS AGAINST THE DIGNITY OF WOMEN AND THE UNITY OF
THE HUMAN RACE

A Representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray for all those who have suffered offences against their
human dignity and whose rights have been trampled; let us pray for
women, who are all too often humiliated and emarginated, and let us
acknowledge the forms of acquiescence in these sins of which Christians too
have been guilty.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

Lord God, our Father, you created the human being, man and woman, in your
image and likeness and you willed the diversity of peoples within the unity
of the human family. At times, however, the equality of your sons and
daughters has not been acknowledged, and Christians have been guilty of
attitudes of rejection and exclusion, consenting to acts of
discrimination on the basis of racial and ethnic differences. Forgive us
and grant us the grace to heal the wounds still present in your community on
account of sin, so that we will all feel ourselves to be your sons and
daughters. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

VII. CONFESSION OF SINS IN RELATION TO THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE
PERSON

A Representative of the Roman Curia:

Let us pray for all the men and women of the world, especially for minors
who are victims of abuse, for the poor, the alienated, the disadvantaged;
let us pray for those who are most defenceless, the unborn killed in their
mother's womb or even exploited for experimental purposes by those who abuse
the promise of biotechnology and distort the aims of science.

Silent prayer.

The Holy Father:

God, our Father, you always bear the cry of the poor. How many times have
Christians themselves not recognized you in the hungry, the thirsty and the
naked, in the persecuted, the imprisoned, and in those incapable of
defending themselves, especially in the first stages of life. For all those
who bave committed acts of injustice by trusting in wealth and power and
showing contempt for the "little ones" who are so dear to you, we ask your
fogiveness: have mercy on us and accept our repentance. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison.

A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.

Concluding Prayer

The Holy Father:

Most merciful Father, your Son, Jesus Christ, the judge of the living and
the dead, in the humility of his first coming redeemed humanity from sin and
in his glorious return he will demand an account of every sin. Grant that
our forebears, our brothers and sisters, and we, your servants, who by the
grace of the Holy Spirit turn back to you in whole-hearted repentance, may
experience your mercy and receive the forgiveness of our sins. We ask this
through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

As a sign of penance and veneration the Holy Father embraces and
kisses the Crucifix.

A Partial Confession From the Pope

THE CONFESSIONALS at Annunciation Church had red curtains heavy
enough to keep my childhood sins from spilling into the sanctuary, where
other sinners waited in pews like voters for their turn in the booth. I
always dreaded confession, with its demand that I own up to my mistakes
and weaknesses. And I was skeptical of the priest's assurance that by
reciting a specific number of ``Hail Marys'' and ``Our Fathers,'' my
soul would be wiped clean.

(I became especially suspicious of the whole process when, in
eighth grade at a Catholic school in Florida, I was made to troop by
myself down the church aisle, kneel at the altar, and in front of
the whole class, pray for God's forgiveness for the offensive sin of
forgetting my hat.)

Despite my skepticism, I'd usually emerge from church after
confession on Saturday afternoons feeling as if I could reinvent
myself as a person who didn't fight with her brothers and sisters
and wasn't obsessively jealous of her friend Maureen's new white
go-go boots. Asking forgiveness cleared away the past, giving me
room to build something new.

I thought of those childhood confessions as I read of the
remarkable ``Jubilee Year'' homily Pope John Paul II delivered on
Sunday. He repented for the Catholic Church's sins over the past
2,000 years, which included injustices toward Jews, immigrants,
indigenous people, the poor, the unborn and women.

``Lord God . . . at times the equality of your sons and daughters
has not been acknowledged,'' he said in reference to women, ``and
Christians have been guilty of attitudes of rejection and exclusion
. . .''

I'll say.

As the pope spoke yesterday about the sins of gender inequality,
I couldn't help but be struck -- again, still -- by the absence of
women in the Vatican's vast sea of robed clergy. Did the pope grasp
the irony?

I called my 67-year-old aunt in Nairobi yesterday to ask her
about the pope's apology. She is a Catholic nun who has worked as a
missionary in Africa for four decades. The divisiveness she has seen
in African communities in the name of faith has been mirrored in her
own religion. The Catholic Church is no closer to allowing women
into decision-making roles at the highest levels than it was when
she entered the convent as a young woman.

``Nothing has changed. And nothing is going to change under this
pope. Women do not have an equal place in the church. It's one of
the last bastions of inequality in modern society,'' she said.
``About two years ago, the pope said the topic of women being
ordained as priests couldn't even be discussed. The topic couldn't
even be discussed!''

Sr. Helene O'Sullivan is the president of Maryknoll Sisters in
Ossining, N.Y., the order to which my aunt belongs. She is a patient
woman, more patient than many of her sisters. She saw the pope's
apology, like Saturday confessions, as a way of to cleanse the
church's soul and allow for a new beginning. She called on the
Catholic Church to be a model of equality for the world.

``Once you ask for forgiveness, you then ask, `Where do we go from
here?''' O'Sullivan said. ``This is the start of a process, not an
end.''

It is quite a remarkable and admirable thing that a church that
considers itself holy, that believes its popes are guided by the
hand of God, would acknowledge and ask forgiveness for mistakes of
the past.

But what about the mistakes of the present? Let's hope
acknowledgment of today's exclusion and rejection of women won't
have to wait for whoever is pope during the next Jubilee.

Pope John Paul II has been, above all, the Pope
of ecumenical unity. His extensive world travels have
been done in the name of Christian unity. The chief goal
of his papacy has been to promote the ecumenical unity
defined by the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. The
Council, in its "Decree on Ecumenism", stated the object
of that activity: "The results will be that, little by
little, as the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical
communion are overcome, all Christians will be gathered
together in a common celebration of the Eucharist, into
the unity of the one and only church-- this unity, we
believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something
she can never lose."

Rome still claims to be the one true church of
Jesus Christ and it has no intention of giving this
claim up. Its goal in ecumenical relations is to bring
all of the "separated brethren" into its fold. John Paul
II has pursued this goal with great vigour and has been
extremely successful. Under John Paul II's direction,
ecumenical dialogue has entangled and ensnared most
denominations, including the Presbyterians, Methodists,
Anglicans and Salvation Army and some Baptists in
Ireland and has resulted in astounding success.

Lutherans have agreed with Rome over the doctrine of
justification. An Anglican commission has stated that
the papacy is a gift to the churches. Evangelical
leaders in America have called for Evangelicals and
Roman Catholics to work together as brethren for the
common aim of unity under Rome. Under John Paul II's
direction, Roman Catholics have infiltrated every sphere
of ecumenical activity throughout the world. They work
hand in hand with the Bible Societies at every level.
They hold leadership positions in local and regional
clergy associations and in national church councils.
Pope John Paul II has also given close direction to the
Catholic "renewal" movement and its far-reaching
ecumenical alliances with Charismatics and Pentecostals.

Now, at the end of his life and papacy, John Paul II is
leaving a final legacy to the cause of ecclesiastical
unity, by attempting to remove a stubborn barrier to the
same -- Rome's vicious centuries-long persecution
against all who refused to accept her authority and
doctrines.
On March 7, the Vatican Press Office released a document
entitled "Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the
Faults of the Past." On March 12, the Pope presided over
a ceremony called "The Day of Pardon" in St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome.
Central to the Pope's apology was the sentence, "We are
asking pardon for the divisions among Christians, for
the use of violence that some have committed in the
service of truth, and for attitudes of mistrust and
hostility assumed toward followers of other religions."
It is clear that whatever the Pope is referring to are
actions taken in the service of truth. The method may
have been wrong but the objective was not. No change
here!
vague and meaningless
This may have the appearance of a genuine apology from
Rome for some but it is not. In reality, it is a mere
façade. There is nothing of real substance to these
"apologies." Even by the Catholic Church's own standards
for confession of sin, these apologies are without
substance. The Catholic sacrament of Confession requires
that the sins be stated specifically.
That there is no specificity whatsoever to the papal
"apology" is even admitted in the document "Memory and
Reconciliation." Note the following plain statement:
"The purpose of the text is, therefore, not to examine
particular historical cases but rather to clarify the
presuppositions that ground repentance for past faults."
The press even noted the generality of the Pope's words.
The Associated Press report for March 13, entitled "Pope
Seeks Pardon for Catholics," observed the lack of
specificity, noting that the Pope "spoke mostly in
general terms, not mentioning the Holocaust, the
Inquisition or Crusades by name and listing few specific
groups." Significantly, Roman Catholic commentators
clearly show us the degree of sincerity there is in the
Pope's words. A BBC report on the subject read as
follows: "Father Bernardo Cervellera of the Catholic
news agency Fides, told the BBC that the Pope would be
distinguishing between the church and its flawed
members. 'The Pope has done a very good job in
convincing all the people in the Vatican and the church
that to ask for forgiveness doesn't touch the holiness
of the church,' Father Cervellera said."

The Pope has not confessed the heinous crimes committed
by Popery during the 600-year 'Holy Inquisition" against
those who simply believed and practised the Word of God,
which was instigated formally by Pope Innocent III
(1198-1216) and was conducted mercilessly by the popes
who succeeded him, century after century, until finally
Rome was no longer politically capable of sustaining it
in the late 1700s. The Inquisition, set up in the name
of Christ, resulted in the torment and murder of
millions of Christ's own humble servants, whose only
crime was a rejection of Catholic heresy and a
commitment to follow the Bible as their sole authority
for faith and practice. The Inquisition covered much of
Europe and other parts of the world in a darkness of
unspeakable fear which lasted for more than six
centuries. The Inquisition was not a 'mistake'. It was
the official policy of the Roman Catholic 'Church' for
centuries. No Pope has ever admitted this. John Paul II
has not confessed the Inquisition; he has not labelled
his fellow popes the murderers they were.

The Pope has not confessed the sin of usurpation of
Christ's position in the Church. This usurpation is
found, among other ways, in the claims of the Catholic
papacy and priesthood which usurp offices and titles
which Jesus Christ and God the Father and the Holy
Spirit alone can possess. The Pope claims to be the Head
of the church, the Vicar of Christ, the Holy Father, to
be a priest ordained after the order of Melchisedec, to
be able to forgive sin, to possess a treasury of grace
which the pope and his priests can dispense through the
sacraments.

The Pope has not confessed the sins of the outlandish
claims of priesthood. These include such claims as that
the Roman priests can turn the bread and wine of the
Lord's Supper into the very Christ, that they can
accomplish the release of souls from a mythical
purgatory, and that Mary is the immaculate Queen of
Heaven

What would the Pope have to do if he were really to
repent of the sins of his organisation?
Repentance means a change of mind which results in a
change of action. When the Corinthians repented, the
Apostle Paul said that he could SEE their repentance in
the great change which occurred in their lives.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to
be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh
death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed
after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you,
yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation,
yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what
zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved
yourselves to be clear in this matter , (2
Corinthians 7:10,11). This is not what we see in the
Pope's alleged repentance.

When anyone now protests that Rome has bloody hands and
a wicked heart and points to history as evidence, the
ecumenists can smile knowingly and claim that Rome has
apologized for all of that. This brilliant ecumenical
manoeuvre also helps keep Catholics within the fold by
appearing to rob Bible-believing Protestants of a
significant charge against Rome.

But God has not been deceived by the Pope's chicanery.
His sins, and those of his predecessors and of those who
will yet follow his pernicious ways will one day come
before God for judgment. And I heard another voice
from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye
be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and
God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as
she rewarded you, and double unto her double according
to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to
her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and
lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her:
for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her
plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for
strong is the Lord God who judgeth her ,
Revelation 18:4-8.

Pope says sorry for sins of church

Saving one of his most audacious initiatives for the twilight of his
papacy, John Paul II yesterday attempted to purify the soul of the
Roman Catholic church by making a sweeping apology for 2,000 years
of violence, persecution and blunders.

From the altar of St Peter's Basilica in Rome he led Catholicism
into unchartered territory by seeking forgiveness for sins committed
against Jews, heretics, women, Gypsies and native peoples.

Fighting through trembles and slurrings caused by Parkinson's disease,
the Pope electrified ranks of cardinals and bishops by pleading for a
future that would not repeat the mistakes. "Never again," he said.

Centuries of hate and rivalry could not recur in the third
millennium. "We forgive and we ask forgiveness. We are asking pardon
for the divisions among Christians, for the use of violence that
some have committed in the service of truth, and for attitudes of
mistrust and hostility assumed towards followers of other
religions."

Plea for brotherhood

Defying warnings from some theologians that the unprecedented
apology would undermine the church's authority, the 79-year-old
pontiff asked God to forgive the persecution of the Jews. "We are
deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of
history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking
your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine
brotherhood."

Wearing the purple vestments of lenten mourning, the Pope sought
pardon for seven categories of sin: general sins; sins in the
service of truth; sins against Christian unity; against the Jews;
against respect for love, peace and cultures; against the dignity of
women and minorities; and against human rights.

Ethnic groups had endured "contempt for their cultures and
religious traditions". Women were "all too often humiliated and
marginalised". Trust in wealth and power had obscured the church's
responsibility to the poor and oppressed.

There was no reference to homosexuals, who had asked to be
included for suffering theocratic violence. The Pope did not
identify guilty individuals or name the crusades, the Inquisition or
the Holocaust, but the references were clear.

Five Vatican cardinals and two bishops confessed sins on behalf
of the church during the ceremony. Cardinal Edward Cassidy recalled
the "sufferings of the people of Israel" asked divine pardon for the
"sins committed by not a few [Catholics] against the people of the
covenant".

'Warped' view

Several Jewish leaders praised the sermon as historic and
significant but Israel's chief rabbi said he was deeply frustrated
by the Pope's failure to mention the Holocaust, and described the
service as "a severely warped view of history".

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau joined other Israelis in expressing hope
that the pope had omitted acknowledging the church's passivity
during the Holocaust only because he was planning a specific apology
during next week's pilgrimage to the holy land.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the congregation of the
doctrine of the faith, confessed to the sins of the congregation's
predecessor, the Inquisition. "Even men of the church, in the name
of faith and morals, have sometimes used methods not in keeping with
the Gospel," he said.

Applause from the congregation greeted the Pope's arrival in the
basilica. He kneeled before the Pieta, Michelangelo's statue of the
dead Christ in the arms of his mother, before being wheeled to the
altar. He leaned on his silver staff and it took several attempts
for him to get out of his chair to kiss a crucifix. The Vatican no
longer denies the Pope has Parkinson's disease. An operation to
remove a tumour, several falls and an assassination attempt have
left him hunched and stiff.

Seeking forgiveness has been a leitmotif of his papacy since his
election in 1978. He has apologised for the crusades, the massacre
of French Protestants, the trial of Galileo and anti-semitism.

Yesterday's apology was by far the most sweeping and an
unprecedented act for the leader of a major religion. One of the
highlights of this year's jubilee, or holy year, it was the result
of four years' research by a panel of 28 theologians and scholars.

Disquiet that the apology was a beautiful gesture but a
theological mistake bubbled to the surface last week.

Echoing widespread concern from liberal as well as conservative
theologians, the Bishop of Como, Alessandro Maggiolini, said: "In
whose name, exactly, is the holy father asking pardon? He is relying
on a group of experts, but tomorrow another group of experts might
come up with different examples."

Other churchmen said the gesture would be seen by Muslims as a
sign of weakness and by secular enemies as a cue to launch further
attacks.

The Pope's persistence in ramming through the initiative, despite
resistance inside the Vatican, has doused claims that he has
effectively retired and abandoned policy-making.

The document that provides the theological framework emphasises a
distinction between the sins committed by the church's sons and
daughters and the church itself, which remains holy and immaculate.

Speaking after the ceremony to the crowd in St Peter's Square,
the Pope stressed he was seeking forgiveness not from those who had
been wronged, but from God. "Only he can do that."

2,000 years of violence and persecution

The Crusades

Pope Urban II, anxious to assert Rome's authority in the east,
sent a military expedition in 1095 to reconquer the holy land. The
crusaders ravaged the countries they passed through and massacred
the Muslim, Jewish and even Christian population of Jerusalem after
capturing it in 1099. After 200 years of conflict Muslim armies
drove them out for good, but the crusaders' symbol of the red cross
remains provocative.

The Inquisition

The attempt to combat suspected apostates, Jews and Muslims at
the time of the Reformation spawned tribunals in Europe and the new
world that tortured and executed thousands. Ecclesiastical
queasiness about flowing blood led to the use of racks, thumbscrews
and red-hot metal instead of blades; 2,000 people were burned at the
stake during the tenure of Spain's first grand inquisitor, Tomas de
Torquemada.

The Holocaust

Pope Pius XII never publicly condemned the Nazis' persecution of
Jews, even when they were being rounded up and deported from Rome.
His silence is partly blamed for the failure of Germany's Catholics
to resist Hitler. Anti-Jewish Catholic doctrines such as the claim
that the Jews murdered Christ were said to have ideologically
underpinned nazism. Vatican officials allegedly helped Nazis escape
Europe after

The Bad Effects of the Papal
Apologies

Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D.

My
friend Jan was not convinced that the latest
papal apology for the Inquisition
(see last article) was really so harmful
to the Church.

“Even if the Inquisition was not as bad as
historians have portrayed it, there were
still some abuses. Doesn’t it show humility
and honesty on the part of the Pope to ask
pardon for the wrong things the Church may
have done?” Jan argued. “Doesn’t it set a
good example for us, since that’s what we
teach our children to do – apologize when we
do something wrong?”

JPII at a Request for Pardon
religious service
on March 12, 2000.
He asked pardon for the Church's
past hostility
toward followers of other religions,
for the Crusades, Inquisition, etc.

Inside the Vatican,
January 2001

Her comment unknowingly illustrates the
exact point I would like to highlight. This
apology, as well as the more than 100 others
that John Paul II has made for the supposed
wrongdoings of the Church, are presenting a
new and false progressivist notion of what
the Church is. The Church, in fact, does not
“do wrong things,” as papal apologies induce
the faithful to think.

The Church, as an institution, is pure and
sinless, founded by Christ and preserved by
God to be free of error, both in the past
and in the present. It is only individual
Church members, be they Popes, Bishops or
the simple faithful, who sin.

This is the authentic teaching of the
Church, Jan, as you and I learned it. But do
your children or their friends realize this?
Or is there some confusion in their minds
caused by the constant papal apologies for
the past “sins of the Church”? If you
analyze these apologies carefully, you can
see that most of them insert a short line, a
footnote, or a parenthetical phrase
attributing the fault to the members of the
Church. For the scholars and theologians,
therefore, the rule is maintained: no error
of the Church but only of her members.
However, it is the general line of the
apology that normally remains in the minds
of the faithful: the Church is sinful. In
face of this contradiction, one cannot help
but wonder: Is it the Vatican’s intention to
cause this second impression?

At any rate, what sticks in the mind of so
many Catholics, especially young ones
schooled in “Vatican II catechism,” is that
the Church made mistakes and even sinned in
her past, so now the correct action for the
Church is to repent and do penance. This
would justify the continuous reform in
customs and institutions we have seen since
Vatican II. It explains why the Church would
supposedly need new structures, because the
old would be inherently flawed.

If we had a contaminated Church, which we do
not, then we have a Church in need of
evaluation and change, uncertain in her
teaching. Yesterday she made a mistake.
Today she corrects it and repents for her
past. Tomorrow, well, who knows what
tomorrow will bring as the Church evolves?

At the same ceremony Cardinal
Ratzinger lights a lamp asking
pardon for sins of intolerance, one
of the seven petitions for
forgiveness.

Inside the Vatican,
January 2001

This notion of a sinning Church that the
progressivists inculcate in the spirit of
the naïve faithful, is affirmed in documents
of Vatican II. Lumen gentium, for example,
states the Church is “at the same time holy
and always in need of being purified,” that
she must always pursue “the path of penance
and renewal.” (LG 8).

It is not difficult to understand from this
that the Church would need a continual
reform, as interpreted by Karl Rahner and
Yves Congar and so many other progressivist
ecclesiastics. Such theologians, suspect for
heresy before Vatican II, have suddenly
become the experts who cannot be questioned,
even though their bad theology did not
change. They are the ones who need to make
apologies for their past and repent. But
they have not. Instead, they are demanding
the Church do exactly that: make apologies
for her past and repent.

When the Pope apologizes for the past sins
of the Church, he does not appear at all
like one being humble and honest. He is
implicitly affirming a new conception of the
Church, and also the Faith, one constantly
reforming, changing, and evolving.

I hope this explains, Jan, why there is
something profoundly wrong with the Pope’s
apology for the Inquisition and for so many
other past militant actions of the Holy
Catholic Church.